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I’m backing debt relief

The cost-of-living crisis is a national emergency and the result of twelve years of Conservative government. We need the Government to act now to protect millions of families who are running out of money for essentials.

While the war in Ukraine has acted as a catalyst for the cost-of-living crisis, the underlying cause is more than a decade during which the Government has dismantled the welfare state and transferred wealth from the many to the few.

A long-term resolution to this crisis will need to involve re-investing in public services, reforming our welfare benefits system so that it is humane, bringing energy back into public ownership and an escalated move towards renewable sources of energy.

However, in the short term I’m backing a campaign by Christians Against Poverty calling on the Government to grant debt relief for many who are in Council Tax arrears or have received Universal Credit overpayments.

Pushing ordinary people deeper into debt benefits nobody but has significant negative consequences, from suicide rates to the economic impact of reducing spending of those in debt. We need to move away from punishing debtors. Many people who receive a Universal Credit overpayment or debt incur it because of how Universal Credit is designed or because of a mistake made by the DWP. Yet being pushed into debt can have serious consequences, leaving people needing to use food banks or choosing between food and heating.

Debt relief for council tax, universal credit and legacy benefit claimants is a good short-term solution that could make a significant difference to millions of families. But the Government needs to come back from holiday and act now to protect us from rising energy bills. The energy cap rise this autumn needs to be stopped and any energy companies that go bust should be brought into public ownership. Britain’s had enough of being ripped off. It’s time to take back control.

You can never trust the Tories with the NHS

I know that many of my constituents have been left suffering because of extensive waiting times. Statistics released this week show that waiting times are reaching record levels and that the NHS is struggling to reach pre-pandemic performance levels. That needs to change.

We cannot let never-ending delays become the new normal. The secondary public health consequences because of the lockdown and restrictions on NHS services continue to be severe and the 100,000 people now waiting over a year for joint replacement surgery must not be overlooked.

We are now starting to see the consequences of 12 years in which the Conservatives have cut NHS funding and failed to tackle the social care crisis. There is a shortage of staff and beds and there has been a failure to build new hospitals. Unless the Government gets a grip on this crisis it will sadly only get worse. We need record investment now in our NHS and an end to costly privatisation across the service. Public health is a priority, and it should be treated as such.

Met Police must be investigated over racist abuse of children

Figures obtained by the Children’s Commissioner show that from 2018 to 2020 the Met strip searched hundreds of children. As always, it was black boys who were disproportionately targeted. Almost all of the children who were stripped were innocent.

Yet again, the Met is trying to cover up the truth and failing to come clean about its disgusting behaviour towards the population it is meant to serve. Instead of being open and publishing in full details about strip searches of children, it has been left to outside forces to secure pieces of the truth where possible.

What has been discovered is yet another method used by the Met to target the black community in London. There is no question that the actions of this Metropolitan police will have traumatised hundreds of children and represent a systemic failure by many of the professionals involved. A full inquiry should be launched into this matter and those impacted should be compensated.

Racism, misogyny and violence are all characteristics of the Met as it is currently constituted. Time and time again, events come to light that show a prevalent attitude of sexism, racism and a disregard for black or female victims of crime. Now that the corrupt former Commissioner Cressida Dick has finally been forced out there needs to be a root and branch investigation into the Met as a whole. Nothing short of a full re-organisation of the Met is likely to achieve the change that is needed.

Londoners no longer trust the Met to do their job. That won’t change until the Met itself changes.

Polio Vaccine

It was announced this week that Enfield is one of 8 London Boroughs where the Polio virus has been detected in sewage. As a result, the Government is offering all children aged 1 – 9 years in London the polio vaccine.

Polio is a serious infection that can cause paralysis but since a nationwide vaccination programme, the virus had been all but eradicated. Before the vaccination programme around 8,000 people used to develop paralysis every year as a result of polio. But while the majority of Londoners are protected from polio, many children require a top-up dose. The NHS will also reach out to adults and carers who are not up to date with the vaccination. Taking the vaccine will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis and help to stop the virus from spreading further. It’s important you make sure your child has the vaccine if they are eligible.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update, if you have any issues that you would like to raise directly with me then please do email  edmontonconstituency@parliament.uk. I’m always happy to help whenever possible.

Kind regards,

Kate Osamor MP

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